Cazenovia College Offers First Year Students New Residential Learning Community Programs

Event Date(s):

Thursday, March 9, 2017 (All day)

Cazenovia College's Residential Living Learning Community programs, offered by the Office of Student Life, are open to first year students and provide a unique community experience through a themed living option in a dedicated area of a residence hall. Participation in the Residential Learning Community programs is optional; students are selected through an application process and placed as space permits.

First year students may choose to apply to either the Leadership Development Community (LDC) or one of the two new community programs, the Art and Design Community (ADC) or the Equine Learning Community (ELC). Each Living Learning Community program will have two resident advisors (RAs) living on the same floor to help students throughout their first year.

The Leadership Development Community (LDC) is specially designed to provide first year students with opportunities to explore and develop leadership styles and techniques – right where they live! Selected students participate in and help lead weekly programming, become members of the co-ed national service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, have an opportunity to attend regional/national leadership conferences, plus much more! This community is open to all majors and no previous leadership experience is necessary. To be successful in the LDC, all you need is a positive attitude and dedication to developing into the best leader you can be.

"Being in the Leadership Development Community my freshman year gave me the boost of confidence and courage to not blend in with the crowd anymore," comments LDC RA Breanna Burrows, inclusive elementary education sophomore. "Learning communities give new students the chance to get a jump start on being involved with the campus and really make a name for themselves. I am really looking forward to working with a group of first year students but also helping them make it a year of growth and expansion to spark their college career."

LDC RA Keeghan McSweeney, inclusive elementary education sophomore adds, "Going into college I was very shy and I was worried that I was not going to adjust well. Through my involvement in the LDC, I was able to grow as a leader and gained many life skills that will help make me a good leader no matter where I go! I am incredibly excited to be able to return to the LDC next year as one of the two RAs!"

The Art & Design Community (ADC) is a brand new Living Learning Community specially designed to build community at Caz. Students in the ADC will live in a hall together and spend their first year participating in special projects, events and professional development workshops. ADC students will even have their own showcase at the end of each semester! The ADC is a fantastic opportunity for students to develop their creativity and jumpstart their careers by building a portfolio.

The ADC RA for the fall 2017 semester, Alyssa Alaniz, visual communications: graphic design, junior shares with incoming students, "I am excited and thrilled to be a part of this new and upcoming Art and Design learning community, where I can help influence the lives of the incoming students who have chosen a career path in the art world. The benefits of this learning community will hopefully bring people together and grow their creative selves by helping one another through the beginning stages of their academic life."

The ADC RA for the spring 2018 semester, Sophia Wasylko, visual communications: advertising design, sophomore adds, "I hope students take advantage of this great new opportunity to better themselves for the future, and are able to gain a much greater experience here at Cazenovia by living and learning together with others that have a related interest."

"The Art and Design Learning Community is going to be a great opportunity for incoming art and design students to not only further their artistic abilities, but also gain experience working with others and developing relationships with those who have the same interests," comments RA Taylor Rapp, visual communication: graphic design junior. "Being one of the leaders for this community, I'm proud to say that I'm helping members kick-start their experience here at Caz in a positive and creative way. I’m very excited to see the artwork members will produce and how it will impact the College campus."

The Equine Learning Community (ELC) is also a new learning community that is in collaboration with the First Year Seminar: Horses, Humans, Politics, & Pressure (EQ 101-F; HG 101-F). Every student that enrolls into this First Year Seminar will live on the same floor as a member of the ELC, and will participate in special events, workshops, and trips. All members of the ELC will go on an overnight trip to Saratoga Springs to experience the Fasig-Tipton fall sale, Saratoga Racetrack and a NYS Capital Region tour as a unique aspect to the First Year Seminar course.

"The equine learning community is going to be a fun, eye opening, engaging experience for all involved," says Maria Roman, equine business management junior. "I am so excited to meet all of the first year students and help them embark on the start of their college years here at Cazenovia College!"

The ELC also has an upper class RA who is an Equine Business Management major living on the floor to help guide students to academic and co-curricular success. The ELC is a great opportunity for students to gain leadership, communication, and build relationships with their peers who are involved or interested in the equine industry.

Students in all of the Living Learning Community programs have access to dedicated student and professional staff mentors and consistently show a higher GPA than the average first year student.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Living Learning Community programs, contact Shannon Dobrovolny at skdobrovolny@cazenovia.edu, or login to myCaz and fill out your application online along with your housing preference form!

*The ADC will have a total of three RAs throughout the year. One RA will be there for the 2017 fall semester and 2018 spring semester. A second will be there for the 2017 fall semester and graduating in December, and a third will take over during the 2018 spring semester when she returns from studying abroad through our Canterbury program.